


The Princess and/is The Spy

by codenametargeter



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Because obviously Leia and Cassian met at some point, House Organa has no chill, Undercover Cassian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 16:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenametargeter/pseuds/codenametargeter
Summary: The last person Cassian Andor expected to be his contact while undercover in the Empire was the spoiled Princess of Alderaan. Or perhaps not so spoiled.





	The Princess and/is The Spy

There were some days when Cassian hated his job. This was one of them. It wasn’t because he was undercover. That much he was used to. He put on identities and later discarded them like they were jackets. What he didn’t care for was having to play escort to a spoiled princess on behalf of Admiral Grendreef. He could have sworn that Grendreef had been almost gleeful as he passed the task along to his aide. There were at least a dozen other useful things he could be doing right now, both for his cover and his true job. His last communication from General Cracken had indicated that another Rebel agent would be making contact soon to take possession of his full report.

“I’d like to see the base from the observation platform,” the young princess demanded. 

Biting back a few choice words, Cassian instead smiled politely. “Of course, your highness. If you’d come this way?” 

She hesitated as the turbolift doors slid open, wrinkling her nose at the stormtroopers. “They make too much noise. I want them to stay here.”

Both stormtroopers instantly looked at him for further guidance and he merely nodded. “Wait here until we return.” Seemingly satisfied, the petite princess finally stepped into the lift, arching an impatient eyebrow when he didn’t immediately follow. He would be very glad indeed when she and the rest of the Alderaanian entourage left to do whatever else they were on planet for and he could return to his usual mission. Instead, he settled for taking solace in the military stance and stoicism as the doors shut and the turbolift whisked them upwards.

“Fascinating comet activity in the Hapes system lately.”

Cassian jolted and looked down at the princess beside him. Everything about her suddenly seemed different now from her far more serious demeanor to the very intent look in her eyes. She had been the absolute last person he would have ever expected to say the recognition phrase and yet… He cleared his throat, realizing he’d been quiet for a few seconds too long. “Almost as fascinating as the pirates around Gallinore.”

“If only the Jedi were here to stop them.” Princess Leia Organa smiled up at him, somehow a different smile than the one she’d had earlier. “I don’t particularly enjoy acting like that, if it makes you feel any better.”

“Perhaps a little,” Cassian replied, still not letting himself relax entirely. He never did. “I wasn’t expecting my contact to be royalty.”

“No one expects me to do anything but think about dresses and jewels. Outside of Alderaan at least. It’s a useful cover,” Leia said before hesitating. “What should I call you?”

She must have been relatively new to the spy game to ask a question like that out in the field. “Joreth is fine,” he said simply before reaching into a hidden pocket in his tunic and pulling out several datacards. “These need to be delivered to Intelligence, directly to the General himself.”

“I’ll make sure he gets them,” she said, making the datacards disappear into the folds of her dress within moments. “And I’m supposed to tell you that Kay is bored.” Cassian couldn’t help but smile at the thought. The droid must have driven Cracken mad by now. He missed his company. Curious, she raised an eyebrow. “Your girlfriend?” That just made him snort with laughter and she flushed. 

“Kaytu’s a droid,” Cassian clarified, shoving the laughter down. “I reprogramed him a few years ago. He doesn’t like it when I have to leave him behind for long missions.” By silent agreement, they both stopped talking as the turbolift doors slid open and didn’t start again until Cassian did a sweep of the small observation platform to ensure that they were still alone. “We’re clear, your highness.”

“You can call me Leia. Can we talk freely?”

“Yes.”

She exhaled. “Good.”

“No need to be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Leia responded quickly, hands on her hips. “I’m just being thorough.”

A useful instinct, Cassian thought although he kept it to himself. Something told him that the pint-sized princess wouldn’t appreciate the observation anymore than she’d likely appreciate his next question. “How old are you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why does it matter?”

He shrugged, spreading his hands and half smiling in a manner that he knew most women and more than a few men found to be charming. “I’m merely curious.”

“Fourteen.” Raising her chin a fraction of an inch, she looked him square in the eye as if daring him to make some sort of judgment or declaration. He had none. He’d fought in a war when he was half her age. It had been no less dangerous than spying, perhaps more so. Although how she’d already ended up a part of the Rebellion was a mystery he’d be thinking about for days to come.

Instead, he cleared his throat and fell back into the officer posture that he’d grown so accustomed to over the last few months. “What else does Cracken have for me?”

“Why would you think there’s anything else?” Leia asked, her tone steady and betraying nothing. She was good, better than some trained spies Cassian had worked with over the years. His only response was a shrug. “The second part isn’t from Cracken.”

That was his second surprise of the day. “What?”

“It’s not from Cracken.”

Suspicion began brewing deep within him even though she’d offered the correct recognition code and response. “What do you mean?”

Something must have given his thoughts away and she quickly shook her head. “General Cracken asked me to complete this main mission since I had a reasonable cover but the rest of the mission is from someone else in the Rebellion. Someone higher ranking.” The last few words were said as if he should already know.

That was enough to make Cassian raise an eyebrow. “Who?”

“My—“ She frowned. “You don’t know.”

“There are a lot of things I don’t know about the Rebellion, Princess,” he said, forcing himself to keep an even tone, even as he started considering the possibilities in the back of his mind including the obvious. “That’s for a reason. I can’t tell the Empire what I don’t know.”

“I… then you shouldn’t ask me who the mission’s from,” she said, confidence flooding back into her voice.

Good. She learned fast. Cassian didn’t say that though. Instead, he nodded sharply. “The mission then. What is it?”

“Install this on the Admiral’s personal datapad,” she instructed, handing him a datadrive.

He took it from her. “Which encryption key?”

“Osk Seventeen.”

“What does it do?”

“It’s a virus of sorts,” Leia said. “I wasn’t given the specifics but it’ll be able to spread itself throughout their system based on his personal codes.”

“Sounds like something that would make my posting here irrelevant.”

“It would make your posting dangerous,” she corrected.

He shrugged. “It’s already dangerous.” She merely stared at him. “But your point is taken. Do I have my orders?”

“You do. They’re—“ Her eyes grew wide and she broke off midsentence, seeing something behind him even as he heard the turbolift door open. “—don’t understand why not!” The last word was punctuated with a petulant stomp of her foot.

Cassian looked down at the ground for a moment; the gesture both in keeping with his long-suffering persona and giving him a moment to catch up to whatever scenario Leia had run with. “It is simply the rules, your highness. The pilots cannot alter their patrol schedules on a whim.”

“Well that’s ridiculous,” she grumbled as the stormtroopers drew closer.

He turned and fixed the white armored soldiers with a stare. “Yes?”

“Protocols said we should check after five minutes, sir,” the shorter one said.

“ _All_ of your protocols are stupid,” Leia broke in with a pout, her spoiled princess act back in full force. “Since you won’t send out the TIE fighters, I’m bored with this. Escort me back to my ship until the Admiral is available for our appointment.”

If being a princess ever stopped being an option for her, Cassian felt certain that she might have a future as a spy. The question, of course, was whether or not she could adopt any other personas as easily. “Of course, your highness. Troopers!” Both stormtroopers immediately fell into formation as they stepped into the turbolift and then headed towards the hanger. Leia kept up a steady stream of pointless chatter the entire way that only required him to nod or make some sound of agreement or disagreement.

As they reached her ship in the hanger bay, they came to a halt and she imperiously stuck out a hand towards him. With a little bow, he took it and kissed the air above the back even as she passed him a second datadrive. It was a smooth handoff, obviously practiced. “If there is anything else you require—“

“Nothing further, Lieutenant,” she said with a dismissive little wave before spinning around and walking up the boarding ramp.

It wasn’t difficult to school his features into an expression of mild irritation as he turned back to his escort. Although neither trooper said anything, their body language was more than enough to confirm they’d sold the act. Good. It wouldn’t do for anyone to grow suspicious. Not before Princess Leia Organa was long gone and his mission there successfully completed.

In the mean time, he had at least several weeks to decide how best to ask General Cracken whether Senator Bail Organa was secretly helping fund the Rebel Alliance, cell protocols be damned.


End file.
